Chest pain? Lightheadedness? Heart palpitations? Can’t catch your breath? You may be experiencing paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation (AF or AFib) occurs when the atria (upper chambers of the heart) lose their normal rhythm and beat chaotically. When this happens, blood isn’t flowing through the heart and body efficiently. This inefficient flow can cause blood to pool inside the atria, increasing the risk of blood clots. Atrial fibrillation can be associated with stroke, dementia, heart failure, and reduced quality of life. About 15–20 percent of people who have strokes have this heart arrhythmia. According to data from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), over 2.3 million people in the United States have some type of AFib.
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Roopinder Sandu (2013) and colleagues from University of Alberta studied 39,876 women who were enrolled in the Women’s Health Study. This was a study initially designed to look at the benefits of long-term aspirin, beta-carotene, and vitamin E. All participants were >45 years of age and did not have known heart disease. Over 16 years of follow-up, 690 women developed paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and 349 women developed persistent or longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation. So like other studies, there was a 30-35 percent risk of going into persistent atrial fibrillation. The following risk factors that can potentially be modified were identified as those associated with the development of persistent atrial fibrillation:
1. Obesity. Women (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) were 156 percent more likely than normal weight women
2. Diabetes. Diabetic women were 22 percent more likely than nondiabetics
3. Hypertension. Women with high blood pressure had a 57 percent higher risk
4. Alcohol Use. Women that consumed >2 drinks of alcohol per day were 55 percent more likely than women who drank
Roopinder Sandu (2013) and colleagues from University of Alberta studied 39,876 women who were enrolled in the Women’s Health Study. This was a study initially designed to look at the benefits of long-term aspirin, beta-carotene, and vitamin E. All participants were >45 years of age and did not have known heart disease. Over 16 years of follow-up, 690 women developed paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and 349 women developed persistent or longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation. So like other studies, there was a 30-35 percent risk of going into persistent atrial fibrillation. The following risk factors that can potentially be modified were identified as those associated with the development of persistent atrial fibrillation:
1. Obesity. Women (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) were 156 percent more likely than normal weight women
2. Diabetes. Diabetic women were 22 percent more likely than nondiabetics
3. Hypertension. Women with high blood pressure had a 57 percent higher risk
4. Alcohol Use. Women that consumed >2 drinks of alcohol per day were 55 percent more likely than women who drank